


King of Anything

by ylc



Series: Misunderstandings and other obstacles for love [6]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Identity Issues, Misgendering, Trans Character, fem!Thorin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 12:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4706366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ylc/pseuds/ylc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo meets his future father-in-law. He's not impressed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	King of Anything

**Author's Note:**

> So this… it wasn’t meant to be so sad. It really wasn’t. I mean, it was supposed to be kinda angsty because of the theme, but I was planning on a reconciliation and yet- well, as usual, my writing ran away from me and turned into this.  
> Not very sure if I like it, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow, you know? Also, I think I might be missing some tags, but I don’t know which so… thoughts on that?  
> Oh, the inspiration for the title comes from the song by Sara Bareilles  
> Anyway, enjoy?

When Bilbo comes back from shopping groceries, there’s a man standing outside the apartment. The man paces in front of the door, bringing his hand up like he’s about to ring and then dropping it, returning to his pacing. He’s muttering angrily to himself and Bilbo stares at him for a little while, confused.

The man is tall and broad, with dark hair with some strokes of silver around his temples. He’s dressed in a fine suit that Bilbo is fairly certain is worth an entire year of rent and so for the life of him he can’t figure out what he’s doing here.

“Can I help you?” he asks pleasantly, placing the shopping bags next to the door, while he tries to open it.

The man stares at him with a familiar frown. That’s all Bilbo needs to realize who exactly he is.

“I think I’ve got the wrong apartment.” The man tells him. “I’m looking for-”

“Frerin is out with some friends. Thorin’s at work.” He interrupts calmly, picking up the bags. “Do you want to leave a message?”

He supposes he ought not to be rude to his future father-in-law, but although he doesn’t know the full story behind Thorin’s and her father’s fallout, he knows enough to make him dislike the man.

Thrain stares at him in confusion for a couple of seconds, before he scowls darkly. “I wasn’t aware my sons could afford hiring some help.”

Bilbo glares, dropping the bags again and crossing his arms before him. “I’m your DAUGHTER’S fiancé.” He informs the other man darkly.

Thrain’s frown deepens as he looks him over, obviously unimpressed by him or his words. He shakes his head disparagingly. “Ah, what is that boy thinking?”

“Girl.” Bilbo corrects as calmly as he can. “Although she’s a woman, really. A 37-years-old woman who you kicked out of your house, may I remind you. I really don’t think you’ve got any say on the choices she makes.”

Thrain glares at him some more. “And just who do you think you are?” the man demands, towering intimidatingly over Bilbo, but the younger male holds his ground.

“As I said, I’m Thorin’s fiancé. Bilbo Baggins.” He introduces himself, with a slight nod of his head. He doesn’t offer his hand, knowing it’d be refused.

“How did you meet my so-?” as Bilbo continues glaring, the man amends. “-daughter?”

“I’m friends with the landlord.” He replies, not volunteering any more details and Thrain scowls some more. “Now, since nor Thorin nor Frerin are home right now, I’m going to have to ask you to leave-”

The man pushes past him, leaving Bilbo spluttering indignantly. He quickly makes himself home at the living room, sitting on the couch and crossing his legs. “I’m not leaving until I talk to my son.”

“I’m afraid Frerin might not come back home today at all” Bilbo says, clenching his jaw. “He said-”

“I meant Thorin.”

“Then you meant your daughter.” Bilbo replies,trying to keep calm, but finding it impossible considering the man continues to misgender the love of his life. “I’m going to ask just once more, Mr. Durin. Please leave.”

“You can’t kick me out of my children’s apartment.”

“Your children want nothing to do with you!” he exclaims, even though he knows that’s just half-true. Frerin and Dís have certainly said as much, but Thorin… well, she doesn’t speak about her father at all, so Bilbo doesn’t really know what she thinks about the whole matter.

Thrain glare turns murderous, but Bilbo stands tall, unwilling to be intimidated. “If you really want to talk to them, I suggest you come tomorrow morning.” He figures there’s no real way he’ll get rid of Thrain, but he can buy some time if only to warn Frerin (he’s not sure if he ought to tell Thorin at all)

The man stares at him with a slightly vulnerable look and his resemblance to Thorin is so strong that Bilbo has a hard time trying to remain firm. He takes a deep breath and carries on glaring. Finally, Thrain sighs and stands up.

“Alright, alright.” The older male says, holding his gaze steadily. “I’ll come back tomorrow. But if my children aren’t here tomorrow morning, I’ll wait until they come back.”

Bilbo nods. The next day is Saturday, so Thorin is likely to want to stay home. When he tells Frerin what has just happened, Bilbo is certain he’ll also be here. “Very well.”

With a nod and a last glare, the man exits the apartment, not adding a single word. Bilbo sighs, suddenly feeling very tired.

He can already tell it’s going to be a long weekend.

* * *

  


“What’s wrong?!” Frerin demands as soon as he picks up the phone. Bilbo and him are still not in the best of terms, so he rarely calls him if he can avoid it. This, however, qualifies as an emergency.

“Your father was here.” Bilbo tells him, deciding to go straight down to business. No use for polite chit chat now.

There’s a tense silence on the other side of the line and then there’s a soft growling sound that grows louder with each passing second. “Frerin what-?”

“What the fuck did he want?”

Hearing Frerin curse is a little odd. Bilbo has seen him completely enraged and yet- “Talk to your sister.”

“Did he actually use that word?”

Bilbo sighs. “You know he didn’t.”

Another silence. “And then?”

“I told him to come back tomorrow. I-”

“I’ll be there.” Frerin informs him seriously. “Thanks for telling me, Bilbo.”

He hangs up and Bilbo sighs.

It’s really going to be a very very long weekend.

* * *

  


Thorin can probably tell there’s something wrong with him, but she doesn’t comment. She curls in bed with him, running her fingers through his curls, probably trying to get him to calm down, but Bilbo is too tense. He doesn’t know if he should tell her, prepare her somehow. He just doesn’t want to upset her, but he wonders if Thrain showing up by surprise would be more upsetting.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, after a while, just when Bilbo thought she had already fallen asleep.

“We had a visitor earlier.”

“Huh?”

“Your father-” he can feel Thorin tensing right away and he hurries to pull her closer. “He’s coming back tomorrow.”

The silence stretches for so long that Bilbo isn’t sure if Thorin heard him at all. “I see.” She whispers finally, curling even closer to him. “You’ll be here, right?”

“Yes.” He assures her, kissing her forehead. “So will be Frerin.”

Thorin makes an odd sound that Bilbo doesn’t know how to interpret. “That won’t end well.” She kisses him softly, climbing into his lap. “Can we- I mean, I don’t-”

He kisses her fiercely then, trying to be as reassuring as possible without saying a word.

He wishes there was more he could do.

* * *

  


As promised, Frerin shows up next morning. Well, Bilbo supposes he sneaked into the apartment before the sun rise, since has was already in the kitchen when he woke up to make breakfast. Thorin is still asleep; she usually sleeps late on the weekends, but today she’ll probably wake up in less than hour.

They don’t talk. They greet each other with a grim nod and Frerin carries on drinking his coffee while Bilbo entertains himself making breakfast. He chops some fruit, makes eggs and toast and fries bacon and maybe it’s a little too much for the three of them, but he needs to do something or he’ll start fretting and that won’t do at all.

Before Thorin wakes up and just as Bilbo is laying down the table, there’s a knock on the door. He can see Frerin tensing and they exchange a look, before Frerin sighs and goes to open the door. Bilbo waits, wondering if he should go and wake up Thorin, but ultimately deciding against it. She’s tired and she needs to sleep; better to wait.

Thrain Durin walks into the apartment as if he owned it. He’s wearing yet another expensive suit and he looks terribly out of place. He seems a little surprised to find Bilbo here and even more surprised at the meal he has just finished placing on the table, but he quickly smooths his expression, turning it into cool disinterest.

Frerin follows his father closely, a slight frown on his face. His whole demeanor is defensive, like he’s expecting Thrain to attack him or something. Bilbo smiles politely and gestures towards the table. “Breakfast?” he asks amicably and Thrain carries on staring at him, but he forces himself to continue smiling, even if it looks a little forced.

Thrain takes a seat at the head of the table, looking slightly wary now. Frerin sits next to him and Bilbo decides to take the other side, leaving Thorin in front of her father. Not ideal, not really, but better than making her sit next to him, Bilbo thinks.

They eat in silence, the tension in the room palpable. Thrain eats little, his attention mostly on the corridor that leads to the bedrooms. Frerin spends the whole meal holding his tongue, probably dying to tell some nasty things to his father, but holding back. Bilbo, for his part, can’t really focus on what the other men are doing, busy as he is being nervous about Thorin’s reaction.

Finally he hears the door of the bedroom opening and after a few minutes Thorin walks into the living room. Bilbo doesn’t know how she managed to take a shower and get dressed with none of them even noticing, but he doesn’t ask. Instead he watches as she greets her father politely, as if having him for breakfast was a daily occurrence and she takes her place at the table, looking completely unruffled.

Frerin and him wait breathlessly as Thorin serves herself some breakfast and eats calmly. Thrain observes her closely, not saying anything, obviously as surprised as the other males by how calm she looks.

“It’s been awhile since I see you. Either of you” Thrain comments after a while and Bilbo can tell the man is nervous, but he holds no sympathy for the man who has continually disrespected his soon-to-be wife. Frerin glares darkly and so Thrain averts his eyes, choosing to focus on Thorin instead.

The female takes a sip from her coffee, still looking unmoved. “Three years, give or take.” She replies evenly. “Longer in Frerin’s case, I think. Five or six years, brother?”

Frerin nods tightly and Bilbo frowns. He knew their relationship was strained, but he didn’t know how much. “Thorin, I-”

“What are you doing here, dad?” she asks and although her voice cracks a little at the last word, she still looks unaffected. Beneath the table Bilbo grabs her hand and squeezes softly, encouragely.

Thorin returns the squeeze, her gaze still trained on her father.

Thrain sighs. “I do realize I’ve made mistake after mistake with you and your siblings. I- I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Well, as I recall, none of us was welcome at your house ever again.” Frerin chimes in, his tone deceivingly light. “In fact, I distinctly remember you saying you had no children at all.”

Thrain flinches and looks at Thorin. She’s staring at Frerin, a disapproving frown on her face, but she doesn’t say anything. Frerin meets her gaze dead on, a slight smirk on his lips. Finally, Thorin sighs. “He’s right, you know.” She tells her father, taking a slow sip from her coffee. “I could tell you your exacts words in our last exchange, but I’ll rather not dwell on the past.” She looks at Bilbo then, smiling softly at him. “The future is far more interesting.”

Thrain scoffs. “You’re really marrying, then?”

The female nods, turning to face him and glaring darkly. “Yes, I am.”

Silence follows her declaration. Thrain looks about to explode and Frerin looks ready to jump into his sister’s (and brother-in-law’s) defense. Thorin, however, just continues eating her breakfast calmly while Bilbo looks warily between everyone.

Finally, Thrain seems to deflate and he sinks into his seat. “I’m sorry Thorin. So sorry.”

She stares at him searchingly, but before she can say anything, Frerin interrupts. “What is this really about, father? You’re dying or something?”

“Frerin!” Thorin exclaims angrily and the younger male immediately bites down his lip, holding back a response. Thrain looks like he’s been stricken and Thorin just stares at her brother despairingly.

“It’s the only explanation that makes sense. “ Frerin states after a lapse of silence. “He remembered he had children because he’s dying and he’s going to need someone to take over the company.” Thorin glares some more. “You’re the only one who would step up Thorin, and you know it.”

“Your brother is the only one who has actual training-”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Frerin snaps, interrupting his father and standing up. “You might not like it but you only had one son and that’s me! So don’t you dare-”

“Frerin!” Thorin stands up too, glaring murderously at her brother and Bilbo feels like he ought not be here at all, but he can really escape right now. Besides, he suspects Thorin is going to need him here.

The siblings stare at each down. It’s surprising how defensive Thorin can get about someone who has so blatantly just disrespected her and Bilbo is quickly reminded of something Thorin told him a while ago: there’s very little she wouldn’t forgive from her loved ones.

Still, this feels like too much. He knows she’s hurt by her father’s words, but she’s still willing to get into a fight with her brother for being rude towards their progenitor.

There are quite a few things wrong with this picture.

“Don’t Thorin” Frerin whispers softly, sounding very young and very scared. “Please don’t take his side.”

Thorin sighs, defeated, and collapses back into her chair. Bilbo takes her hand again and starts tracing circles around her knuckles, trying to be soothing. Again silence descends over the table.

“I’m sorry.” Thrain says. “I don’t- I don’t know why-” He sighs. “I’m so terribly sorry Thorin. I want- I want to repair all this damage I’ve caused but I don’t know-”

“You could start by not misgendering your daughter” Bilbo interrupts, fire burning in his veins now that he looks how sad Thorin is. His fianceé turns to him, looking slightly (but pleasantly) surprised. “Would do wonders, that small change.”

Thrain glares at him and Frerin sends a winning smile in his direction, but Bilbo’s focus is on Thorin. “I’ll tell you something, Mr. Durin. Your daughter is the most marvelous woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. She’s- she’s sweet and caring and beautiful and just perfect. And if you can’t see that-” he turns his attention back to his future father-in-law and glares “That’s your loss. If you’re going to keep on being disrespectful towards her, then I’m going to have to ask you to leave and never come back.”

Thrain still looks angry, but not overly so. He looks at Thorin, evidently thinking long and hard about something, before he smiles softly. “He’s a fierce one, isn’t he?”

Thorin smiles a bit brokenly. “He is.” He squeezes Bilbo’s hand and he smiles brightly at her. “He’s being serious, too.”

Thrain nods. “I’ll try. I- You know this isn’t going to be easy on me-”

“It hasn’t been easy on none of us!” Frerin exclaims suddenly. “But she’s my sister and I love her. And she’s your daughter and you should make a bloody good effort-” he’s holding back tears, Bilbo notices suddenly. “And anyway, it’s been far harder on her. So don’t ask for us to be understanding father, if you’re not willing to be.”

Thrain stares at his son for a minute, before slowly nodding. “I’ll- I’ll go now. I’ve got- There are-”

“We’ll see you later.” Thorin interrupts calmly. “I’ll talk to you later.”

The oldest male nods and exits the apartment, without another word. Frerin stands up and heads towards his room, still furious, but looking slightly more composed. Bilbo stays with Thorin in the living room, breakfast long forgotten.

“Are you alright?” he asks softly, after yet another tense silence.

“It went slightly better than expected.” She informs him with a fake smile and Bilbo frowns, so she drops the smile. “I’ll be fine. I wish I believed dad is really trying to make amends but- well-”

“If he is, he has an odd way of showing it.”

Thorin chuckles. “If you haven’t noticed, everyone in this family is a bit emotionally constipated. We just don’t know how to voice our feelings.”

“Doesn’t mean he gets a free pass for disrespecting you.”

Thorin looks away, biting her lip. “No. No, I suppose he doesn’t. It’s just- he’s my father, you know?”

“He’s still an ass.”

Thorin laughs at that. “I guess you’re right. I just- I just wish we could really work things out.”

Bilbo nods, coming to stand next to her so he can hug her. “It’ll take some time, but if he’s really willing…” Thorin wraps her arms around him and squeezes, while Bilbo rubs soothing circles over her back. “But no matter what, you’ve got me. And Frerin and Dís and your nephews and your friends. You don’t need him, Thorin.”

For a while, the only sound in the apartment are Thorin’s soft sobs.

  


**Author's Note:**

> See what I meant? I might add a couple of chapters to this particular ficlet, if inspiration strikes. I have already planned the new installment of the series and it’s not quite as angsty as this one (it might be slightly silly, actually) so… let me know what you thought?  
> Remember you can also find me in [tumblr](http://ylc1.tumblr.com/)


End file.
